Pressure-treated timber is built to survive outdoors, but a few small habits make the difference between a fence that lasts ten years and one that lasts twenty-five. None of it is hard work.
Always re-treat cut ends
Pressure treatment soaks in from the surface, so the moment you saw a post or board you expose untreated timber at the cut. Brush every cut end with an end-grain preserver before it goes in the ground or sees the weather — this is the single most-missed job.
Keep timber off the ground
Standing water and soil contact are what rot timber first. Gravel boards under fence panels, feet under planters, and a small gap under decking all keep the timber breathing and dry.
Oil decking, not fences
Decking benefits from a coat of decking oil once a year to feed the timber and slow greying — do it on a dry spell in spring or autumn. Fences generally do not need oiling; a treated fence is fine left to weather, though a coloured fence stain refreshes the look.
Shop this project
We stock end-grain preserver, decking oil, fence stains and the gravel boards that keep timber off the ground. Ask at the counter for what suits your job.